Read a longer list of safe fruit and veg here. Making feeding more exciting is a great way of keeping your guinea pigs active and happy. You can replicate this for your pet guinea pigs by hiding food around their enclosure for them to sniff out. They need to get it from their food. Good quality guinea pig nuggets will contain vitamin C. There are also other ways of supplementing Vitamin C for your guinea pig, such as supplements that can be added to water or drops you put straight into their mouths.
These are often available from pet shops. Our vets' have created a handy list of fruit and veg that are safe for your guinea pig. Give your home a safety check with our list of common hazards for curious paws. Do you own a pet? Complete our short pet wellbeing survey and we'll enter you into our FREE pet hamper prize draw as a thank you!
Donate Menu. Get help. Find us. Your guinea pig's diet Read our vets' advice on what to feed your guinea pig and how to keep them in shape. Guinea pigs are herbivores — meaning they only eat plants. Their ideal diet will include: A constant supply of good quality feeding hay or grass.
This is paramount in providing a complete diet and encourages the guinea pigs to chew for long periods of time. This chewing helps to wear down their continuously growing teeth and is very important in maintaining dental and gastrointestinal health. Some examples of these include dark leafed lettuce varieties such as rocket, dandelion greens, snow peas, and herbs such as marjoram, borage, marigold, nasturtium, rosemary, parsley, coriander, basil, and dill. Other foods that are good to fed guinea pigs a few times a week include broccoli, cabbage, endive, carrot tops, Brussels sprouts, kale, silver beet, mint, and fruits such as apples but with no seeds , mango, and papaya.
Provide your guinea pigs with a dietary source of Vitamin C because like humans , guinea pigs cannot synthesise Vitamin C from other food substances. Vitamin C rich foods such as leafy green veggies and capsicums green, orange, and red should be fed to your guinea pigs daily. Foods like carrots, kiwifruit, berries, and pineapple are also great as a source of Vitamin C and a tasty treat for your guinea pigs but only feed them a few times a week, not every day, as these foods have quite a high sugar content.
Make sure that you source grass, herbs, fruits, and vegetables that have not been sprayed by any chemicals, as these could harm your guinea pigs. Lawnmower clippings should never be fed to your guinea pigs as these can cause gastrointestinal blockages and make your guinea pigs very sick. Although many contain adequate levels of Vitamin C when fresh, this is only when the food is very fresh and within just a few months these foods no longer contain Vitamin C.
Mix any new food into the existing diet in small quantities, slowly increasing the amount over two weeks. It is important to also know what not to feed guinea pigs, as there are plenty of items that might seem harmless but can in fact cause significant health issues. Without water guinea pigs become seriously ill. If you haven't registered with a vet, find your nearest vet practice. Recognising pet obesity, the associated health risks and how to prevent them. Share this A healthy diet for guinea pigs.
Hay and grass Good-quality hay should make up most of your guinea pigs' diet, and they should always have it available to them. Pellets Guinea pigs have special dietary needs and must get enough Vitamin C, so give them a fresh portion of grass-based guinea-pig pellets each day, as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Vegetables Your guinea pigs should have fresh, washed leafy greens or weeds each day, such as kale or broccoli, which are excellent sources of Vitamin C. A few things to remember about feeding your guinea pigs Make sure they have fresh clean drinking water continuously and check it twice daily.
Adjust feeding quantities to prevent them from becoming underweight or overweight. The quantity of food guinea pigs need depends on their age, lifestyle and general health. They become overweight and may suffer if they're eating more than they need.
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